Rebel

All rights reserved

Copyright © 2016 by Lori C Clark

Cover art copyright © 2016 by Lori C Clark

This book is based on real life.

A Prequel To

The Email Ordered Wife

To Reb and Rojo, know how much you are loved.

Table of Contents

Street Games

Nationalism

Slow Subtle Changes

Study Group

The Runaway

A Hero’s Funeral

The Wedding Vow

The Loving Husband

Going South

The Road Home

The Baby with Facial Hair

The Shanty

The Working Girl

The First Goodbye

The Second Goodbye

The Third Goodbye

The Last Goodbye

Epilogue

Notes

Other Books by L C Clark

Street Games

It was August, 1968, universities abroad were fighting for freedom of speech during this unique period of global unrest. Protests led by Free Speech Movement of the University of California started in 1964 and progressed into the famous Berkeley demonstrations against Vietnam War. The University of the Philippines (UP), on the other hand, already had virtual freedom of speech as embodied in The Oblation, a concrete statue that stood welcoming at the campus entrance. Its arms stretched out upward symbolized absolute freedom. The absence of restraint, being totally naked, except for a leaf over his manhood, defies modesty imposed by religion and tradition. The UP was the first college in the Philippines to include the Theory of Evolution in the curriculum, challenging a nation of mostly Catholics.

History is mostly written by people who did not actually live during the era so that conflicting versions arise. The UP taught the nationalist version of the country’s history challenging the Department of Education imposed version taught in elementary and high school. Imagine the incoming freshmen’s bewilderment to find a second version of the history they had been fed for over a decade.

At four in that afternoon of that fateful day, several busses were lined up waiting to fetch students at the UP campus in Diliman, Quezon City. Their destination was the Hall of Congress in Lawton, Manila. The issue of the day was the Philippines’ continued support of the US war against Vietnam through a contingent called Philippine Civic Action Group (PHILCAG) composed of Engineers and Medical professionals specifically organized to assists the US Army fighting in Vietnam.

Hey Gina, you live in Pasay City don’t you? You can ride with us to Congress, then you can take a jeepney from there. You save on bus fare. Come on it’ll be fun! Penny called out from a bus window.

A jeepney is a public transportation modeled after the World War II army jeep but enlarged to accommodate 14-18 passengers. The Filipinos are proud of this product of ingenuity. The body paint, interior and exterior decorations are specifically done according to the owner’s personal preference. No two of them are alike.

Penny was an active member of the Kabataang Makabayan (KM), a student organization based in the University of the Philippines (UP). The organization provided the busses to encourage non-members to populate the protest, in support of their cause. The bigger the crowd, the better it would look on the six o’clock television news and in the next morning’s newspaper front pages.

Hi Penny, thanks for inviting me Gina said, as she boarded the bus.

Gina was a first semester freshman from a conservative Catholic high school, who, by some misstep of destiny passed the university’s tough entrance exam designed to seek radical thinkers. Her only award on graduation day was First in Religion. There was always a competition going between colleges to produce the smarter graduates. Most of the highly commended student from her high school didn’t pass the UP entrance exam. They landed in the less distinguished colleges at the university belt, a part of downtown Manila that has numerous universities a block away from each other. In the entire graduating batch, only the Valedictorian and Gina were accepted in UP. The Salutatorian and other honor students did not make it. The Valedictorian was a walking encyclopedia. How Gina passed that entrance exam was incredible. One of her high school teachers offered an explanation.

Gina passed because of her radical character, a budding communist if you ask me. She would fit right in. the teacher told the class.

Gina knew nothing about communism. She was just stubborn and had no fear of nuns, a spoiled brat due to being an only girl at home.

The bus quickly filled with students in dirty jeans and miniskirts. To show their protest against what they called the establishment the male activists who lived in the campus dorms quit washing their blue jeans until the pants can stand on its own with thickened dirt. Apparently, doing laundry was another tradition they wanted to break.

The boys sported long hair and facial hair, if genetically lucky. The young ladies either had Twiggy’s short hairdo or straight long hair that parted in the middle. The previous generations parted their hair on either left or right sides until the rebellious 60’s teens parted hair in the middle in solidarity with the American Indians. History has just been unearthed that American Indians owned America before they were annihilated and their survivors were enclosed in reservations. Prior to this decade all the movies portrayed the American Indians as the villain, tribal people who beheaded the nice white folks.

The ladies’ skirts went up three to five inches above the knee for those with typical Filipino height. For the tall and long legged conscience was the limit. Gina’s legs were ruined by scars from skin allergies when she was a child. A scar remover ointment she used for years somehow worked in time for the mini skirt fashion. She wore micro minis with a pair of shorts under so her panties won’t show. Her hair which her mother, Millie, braided all her life, defied the Twiggy style and stood on end when she got the haircut. She had to grow it long again. Now she has her hair down to her shoulders, parted in the middle.

Thanks for the free ride. My crush is here. Gina whispered to Penny. She had a crush on every mustache that walked around the campus.

Ok, who is it this time? Penny said teasing the younger girl she has taken under her wings. She was a sophomore only a year older than Gina but advanced in maturity.

Gina pointed to her crush of the day, with a roll of her eyes to keep from saying the guy’s name. Penny couldn’t help but laugh. The girl in front of her looked comical, big glasses in a small face, a purposely crooked smile to show off a gold tooth, which otherwise would not be seen and thick brows that’s begging to be plucked into shape.

Her crush of the day turned out to be Andaya, a member of the KM, University of the East chapter. He has an untrimmed mustache and buck teeth. He wore a French beret, a fan of Che Guevara, like every guy in campus at that time. He was playing a guitar surrounded by girls singing protest songs. Gina made faces about the girls who gathered around Andaya. Penny made a mental note to give Gina a makeover.

The bus soon filled to capacity. The convoy of ten buses started to roll. All were filled to capacity, with students busting to the doors. Screams, chants and private jokes passed from each bus that overtook another on the road, an excursion beyond compare to Gina, who had never been on school field trip because of over protective parents.

In another hour, the street in front of the old building that housed the Congress was populated as the buses gave out their passengers. The majestic concrete steps of the building served as a stage. Microphones and speakers were set up in a flash. The speakers assigned began to expound on the issue at hand.

The first speaker was Reb. That is not his real name. Student activists used aliases to protect themselves from government retaliation. That, and they wanted to be called names related to the political struggle. Reb was short for ‘revolutionary’. He had long hair and a goatee which accentuated his perfectly aligned teeth set in strong jaws. At eighteen he looked raw and gristly with deep set eyes. He stood five foot, six inches which was not short for a Filipino. He had on a worn out shirt, which has softened to rag status making it cling to his muscular biceps, another part of the male anatomy Gina found enticing. He wore very loose blue jeans, which was not in fashion at that time. He was either decades ahead of fashion or was trying to hide an arsenal. She didn’t particularly care for the goatee though.

Does he always speak at these demonstrations? Gina asked Penny as they listened to Reb speak about the risks in the country’s involvement with a war not their own.

Every time, Penny replied.

Hey, he’s good! Gina whispered.

I thought you’re catching a jeepney home from here, Penny reminded Gina.

Later, I want to hear more of what he has to say.

Well since you’re staying you might as well help hand manifesto to those people.

Penney was referring to the pedestrians walking towards the jeepney stop, along Taft Avenue. Most were employees leaving the office buildings along Kalaw Street. Some people were coming from the Luneta Park.

Gina took the flyers about the protest and started approaching strangers. Penny and the other members of her organization were surprised at their new recruit’s boldness and energy. Gina did better by rushing to the motorist held on stop by the traffic light to give them flyers and ran back to the sidewalk when the light turned green, then back out again on the next red light. She jumped in and out of traffic looking like she was playing a street game.

Gina grew up playing Patintero, a game played by splitting into two competing teams. Patintero required squares drawn with water or chalk on a paved road. Teams took turns guarding the lines as the other team penetrated the squares. If a guard touched anyone crossing the line from the other team, the teams switched places to change guards. Gina’s running to and from motorist at the stoplight seemed to simulate the game except that the guards were vehicles that could put her in a hospital if it touched her.

After the discourses in front of the Congress building, the rally leaders led the crowd to march towards the US Embassy, three blocks away. By this time, the sun has set and emotions have risen. Red flags waved in the t air. The marchers, held placards with wooden handles and cardboard with political slogans painted in red. They chanted coined phrases against the alliance between the Philippine and US governments.

Down with US Imperialism

Marcos: US puppet

"Ibagsak!" (Topple)

The thrill, she experienced for the first time, made Gina forget to go home. She was having fun in a political exercise that had potential for very serious consequences. This political demonstration was the most exciting thing that ever happened to her, since her high school graduation party where she was escorted by her best friend’s elder brother. Jimbo, a thin, tall cutie with a starter mustache, kissed her goodnight. They secretly dated that summer vacation after graduation.

Gina and everyone she knew were Catholic. A ‘closed Catholic’ like her mother Millie has closed the door to any other religion. Her father, Mar, a ‘non-practicing Catholic’ went to church on occasions like his birthday to thank God that he lived to reach that age, or Christmas and Easter Sunday for obvious reasons and New Year’s Day to thank God for another year. Gina and Jimbo usually met in church. After the thirty minute Catholic Mass, they sneaked out to go to the movies to make out. When their budget allowed, they took a cab and smooched in the back seat as warm up. Sadly, the boy was accepted into a different university. She hasn’t seen him since.

Mar watched the protest on television news. He didn’t see Gina in the crowd but he felt in his heart, the start of trouble. She has never been late coming home before. When she walked through the door her face showed a maturity that could only come from an awakening to the dark side of life. Gina read the flyer in her hand. It mentioned Filipino casualties of the Vietnam War in support of a program generated out of political deals. It meant children were orphaned and wives were widowed, by a war between two countries not their own, with no benefits.

Mar earned good money as a dentist in the US Navy. He retired after twenty years of service with a hefty dollar pension. The dollar conversion to peso is multiplied by four in the 60’s. His family had good food and nice stuff. Their home may not be fabulous or large but they had a Zenith color TV, when most channels still broadcasted in black and white, air-conditioning in the bedrooms, the latest kitchen devices for his wife Millie and toys for Gina and the two boys. They had two live-in maids, whereas most of their neighbors had one or none. He drove his 1958 Plymouth only for family trips.

He did his best to shelter his only daughter from reality. He forbid the entire family, including the maids, to watch soap on television or listen to soap on the radio. The American soap was typically about adultery, however, the Filipino soap always had someone weeping over injustice, an innocent man jailed for a rich man’s crime; oppression and cruelty, wife from a poor family battered by her rich husband and his family. Poverty gave good viewer ratings. It assured poor people, when they hear about worse misfortune, that their life wasn’t so bad.

He put his children in catholic schools, where students were middle class, so they won’t befriend children plagued by social issues, such as unemployment, medical treatment relying on underfunded public hospitals, malnourishment and poor living condition. This black out of information on social issues worked adversely on Gina.

Mar heard about the reputation of the UP for espousing radical ideas but it was also reputed to accept only A-students. He was proud of Gina when he found out she took the entrance exam and passed. That sort of decided for everyone where Gina would be going to college. The UP was quite a distance from the city where they lived. It did not have a school bus. It had dormitories for students but it was out of the question for Gina to live away from home. He tried to drive her to and from the university in the first week of the first semester with his 1958 Plymouth. The car was barely ten years old but the smaller bantam cars, as they were called, have arrived. The long Plymouth with shark fins in the back looked so obsolete. Gina heard students calling it the Bat Mobile. She told Mar, she would rather take a bus.

Most of the students walked around the campus in jeans and tees with images of their favorite rock band. Gina came wearing what her high school teachers told her to wear in college, stockings, nice looking dresses that matched the color of her shoes and purse and modest but real diamond jewelries.

On top of the alienation due to being new and different, she was missing her summer boyfriend with the starter mustache. He got caught up in a fraternity. Although they lived two blocks from each other he had totally forgotten about her. The boys in jeans and tees in UP found her either intimidating or unexciting due to her obvious innocence. She couldn’t ask her parents to buy her rugged jeans and tees so she saved up from her allowance, bought them herself and told her parents they were gifts from friends.

The next day, Penny grabbed Gina off the hall and took her to the ladies room.

Hey I got time and you’ve got an hour till your next class. Let’s smoke in here, Penny said.

Why do we have to smoke in the ladies room? The boys smoke anywhere they want. Is it illegal? Gina asked, catching the attention of the other five girls, clouding up the room with second hand smoke.

No, it’s not illegal but traditionally only prostitutes and sluts smoke openly. We don’t want to be mistaken for those. Penny replied as she lighted up Gina’s cigarette.

If it’s not illegal, is it against university regulations? Could I be sanctioned if I walked out of here with a lighted cigarette?

No, it’s nothing like that. Penny said, a bit annoyed by Gina’s questions.

Don’t you think it’s about time decent women get the same rights as the prostitutes and sluts? Gina said as she walked out blowing Marlboro along the hall.

Penny followed in Gina’s steps observing how teachers and students in the hall would react. The recruit she found to mentor sure had guts. The other smoking girls looked through the ladies room door observing how people would react. Professors and students walked past Gina, ignoring the brazen freshman. The smoking ladies came out with their cigarettes blowing proudly to steal the moment from Gina who has sat on a bench with Penny. The ladies room had finally given up its secret and a religious virgin has started a reform.

Gina didn’t do it to be popular. She didn’t really like smoking either. She enrolled in AB English as a pre-Law course. She was naturally litigious. She first asked if she would be breaking a law or a regulation. Without any undue consequence other than a crack in a woman’s reputation she did not believe suppressing a woman’s right was warranted.

Penny couldn’t wait to tell the movement leaders about Gina. After her classes, she went to the Kabataang Makabayan headquarters. It was a two bedroom apartment. One bed room, the size of a jail cell had a small window and two steel bunk beds. The other was used as an office. It had a mimeograph machine and a large conference table with long benches on either side. Members were printing invitations to a nationalism seminar they regularly held there. The open floor design of what should have been the living room and dining room was used as seminar hall. It had a podium and long benches similar to those in the office. The members slept on the benches when they worked overnight. The small kitchen had no stove or any cooking stuff. The toilet was typical size with a shower, which most homes didn’t have due to the expensive water pressure tank required.

The General Secretary of the movement, everyone called Ginto, (an alias which means gold in English) has a prominent gold tooth. The treasurer they called Kunat (an alias that means stingy in English), Penny’s boyfriend, called Kinis (an alias that means smooth in English) had rough facial skin due to pimple scars, were just finishing up a meeting.

Hey who was that new girl you got handing out the flyers? It was fun to watch her dive in an out of traffic. Ginto asked Penny. Nothing escapes him. There’s a reason he was the Gen. Sec.

That’s Gina, a freshman from AS (College of Arts & Sciences). You should have seen her walk around the campus smoking like she owned the place. She is wild! Penny said proud of her neophyte. In those days wild was a sought after compliment among teens.

Make sure to invite her to the seminar. Ginto said.

She’ll be there. Penny assured him.

Penny gave Gina a bunch of invitations to the seminar and asked her to help hand them out around campus. Gina was glad to do it. It gave her a reason to approach the boys she liked, without looking desperate. She liked the way recipients reacted to her after seeing the flyer. As soon as they saw it was from the radical organization, they looked back at her with more respect. Being in possession of those flyers, it was assumed she was a member of the nationalist organization. The organization did not keep a roster of members for security purposes, in case of a foreseen government crackdown. There was no application form to fill out. Presence was your membership ID. Assignments and instructions were all verbal. Except for the Gen. Sec. and the Treasurer who both dealt with the college Administration Office and government permit office, the members were unknown. She did not realized that whatever task she did for the movement made her a member.

Gina read the invite in her hand. Nationalism Seminar seemed to be describing patriotism, something she learned from grade school to high school. She wondered how nationalism related to patriotism.

Nationalism

Gina did not mention Penny or anything about the movement to her parents or to anyone in her family. She didn’t think they would be interested anyway. The Nationalism Seminar was held on a Friday afternoon at The Bonifacio Center¹. Students called the place HQ. It was on the third floor of a building a short ride from campus. A parapet surrounded the whole floor, turning the top of the stairs and hallway into a balcony. Members and prospective members, couples or almost couples hung out there. Some sat on the parapet, while they waited for the seminar to begin. Teenagers didn’t care that sitting on the edge of a third floor building could cause a fall.

The topic of the symposium was designed to raise the audiences’ social and political consciousness. Gina had to cut a class to attend. She was glad to see thirty percent of the students, she handed invitations to, actually came. They were mostly freshmen and sophomores. Most juniors and seniors were too focused on graduating, to mess with a student organization professors warn them about.

Ginto was the first to talk. He welcomed everyone and gave the objective of the seminar. He spoke about ‘colonial mentality’ which is, to this date, a residual effect of colonialism. Colonial mentality is what makes the poor, dark Filipino treat with reverence the rich, mestizo². He explained how colonialism created the unfair distribution of wealth in the country. He corrected misconceptions about the revolution against Spain and the subsequent turnover of the country to the Americans. Then he introduced the next speaker.

"Please give your attention to a ‘sakada’ from the peasant sector to tell us the situation of the farmers in their province, Reb," Ginto introduced Reb, a College of Fine Arts student wearing a baggy pants, a goatee and worn out shirt. He looked every inch a farmer. He narrated how the Spanish colonialist put the big lands in the hands of a few so the whole country would be easier to control. He talked about growing up in a peasant family from Central Luzon, and how landowners paid them just enough to survive and work the field another day. He related how the landowners influenced government laws to prevent the passing of a land reform. That way they could keep their land and the peasants would remain as cheap farm labor. He was talking about feudalism, a word rarely heard outside the organization. In reality Reb’s family is a land owner in the Bicol Region, down south. The farm he grew up in had cows and horses. His parents had money enough to send two sons to college and live in the dorm in Manila.

Gina was raised in the city and had never met a farmer in her life. She knew nothing about feudalism. She heard her grandfather owned a rice field but she has never seen it. Her mother received sacks of rice regularly as her share of the harvest.

Bungo was the next to talk. Bungo, an alias that means skull in English, a joke about his bony face and skinny as skeleton appearance. He introduced himself as a factory worker. He was not a member of the student organization. He was invited to talk on the situation of the urban poor who were employed, but gainfully was not a word that could describe it. As a result of the inequality in land ownership, children of the peasants have ventured